Reuss and Wellhausen, Essay Example

Reuss and Wellhausen make the case that P was written after the exile. This hypothesis states that each book of the Pentateuch was written by five different individuals and were then brought together by editors that made the text flow better. Because different authors were responsible for writing each book, it is possible that some books were written as events were occurring, while others were written after. Therefore, it is necessary to consider that the flow of biblical events were not mirrored by the order in which they were recorded.

The late date theory is contradicted by the fact that many of the names mentioned in the Pentateuch are Egyptian, which suggests an earlier context of these books. Thus, these books were not authored at a late date, but rather compiled later on. Some of the evidence that points to a late date may be based on this later editing.

Josiah granted the priests power to regulate and control religion more greatly. Therefore, in order to greater understand Deuteronomy in relation to the rest of the Pentateuch, they were able to rewrite parts of the other books in order to piece together the information that had been handed to them.

In P, the narrative is interrupted to give priestly instructions from Moses and Aaron. This includes how to properly observe Passover, including what should be eaten and how animals should be taken care of before this is done. Another role of the priest that is mentioned is to make sure that all males are circumcised in order to partake in this ritual.

P subtly diminish the role of Moses by emphasizing Aaron as the true leader of the Israelites. Research has shown that the priests prefer not to discuss miracle stores and therefore would rather focus on biblical characters that are more human in their abilities. Therefore, since Moses was responsible for miracles according to oral tradition, the priests preferred to phase him out in favor of Aaron. Therefore, the part of the bible concerning the true leader of the Israelites is complicated on the basis of this opinion.

One of the major additions and subtractions in P is that various sages have importance throughout history, while sages are absent altogether at other times. Other alterations are the way things are phrased on the basis of who is being spoken to. It is important to consider that many of what is written may be priestly interpretation and it is necessary for us to find the original meaning of these words in our studies.

It is believed that Jeremiah’s father was the high priest who discovered Deuteronomy during Josiah’s rule. His treatment of P material is interesting because he came from a priestly family, although he is not believed to have received any training to become one. Since he was a writing prophet, he may have contributed to the book.

Friedman believes that P’s composition occurred during the time of Hezekiah because he has been able to identify specific biblical figures as J, E, D (Jeremiah and Baruch), that both editions of the Deuteronomistic History were written by the same person, and P was written during reign of Hezekiah on the basis of timing of these other works. These were all tied together by R, identified by Friedman as Ezra.